Mail-bag catcher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1* (No Model.)

G. B. WINSOR & G. W. CUMMINGS. MAIL BAG GATGHER. N0. 536,310. Patented Marl26, 1895.2

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON B. WINSOR AND GEORGE W. CUMMINGS, OF JAMESTOWN, ASSIGN- ORS OF ONE-THIRD TO LOREN B. SESSIONS, OF PANAMA, NEW YORK.

MAI L-BAG CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,310, dated March 26, 1 895.

Application filed January 18, 1894:. Serial No. 497,251- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CLINTON B. WINSOR and GEORGE W. CUMMINGS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua, State of New York, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Bag Catchers, of which the following is a description. 7

This invention relates to an improvement in mail bag catchers.

One object of the present invention is to improve the manner of connecting the catcher arm with the operating handle, so as to permit the former to be readily turned on its pivot without removal of any screws, bolts, or the like.

I A further object is to provide a novel form of lever arm adapted to support the lower portion of the bag, said arm being so arranged that it will automatically close down against the side of the car when the bag has been removed.

A further object is to provide means for holding the catcher arm in a horizontal or raised position and for automatically releas ing the same when the bag has been removed, to allow the arm and with it the bag to drop to a vertical position.

A further object is to provide a novel form of bag holder tobe located at the successive stations along the road, said bag holder being of such construction as to remove the bag from the cars, and at the same time support a bag in position to be removed by the car.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a mail bag catcher, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a portion of a car showingthe mail catcher and lever arm in their dropped position. Fig. 2, is a perspective view showing the bag in position to be removed. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of a bag holder to be arranged at a station, showing the bag in position to be removed. Fig. 4, isa top plan view of the mail bag catcher; and Fig. 5, is a vertical sectional view on line a:w Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a portion of the car, and 2 the car door. Arranged at one side of the car door is a bracket 3, which is pivotally connected with the side of the car, and supports one end of a rod 4 on which the catcherarm 5 works, which has pivoted thereto the usual spring-actuated dog 5past which the bag slides when caught and by which it is held. Upon that portion of the rod arranged between the two arms of the bracket is rigidly secured a collar 6 provided with a lug 7 designed to engage with a projection 8 (see Fig. 4) on the back of the bracket to hold the catcher arm in a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2,a coiled spring placed on the rod on each side of the collar and bearing on the respective arms of the bracket serving to hold the lug in proper operative position with relation to the projection, and at the same time to take up the jar and impact caused by the contactof the catcher arm with the bag when being caught. The free end of the rod is held in a spring catch 8' arranged on the opposite side of the car door. Arranged on one side of 'the rod is a spline 9 having at each end a notch or recess 10, the function of the spline being to work in a recess formed on a collar or catcher arm support 11, to prevent the said arm from turning upon the rod, a pin 12 passing through. an opening in the support and into the said recess serving to hold the support from lateral movement on the rod.

' The catcher arm, to which reference has been made, is of the ordinary construction and is provided with a plate 13 from the center of which projects a pintle 14 into the support. The support is disk shaped on one'end, and is provided with a transverse groove in which works a bolt 15, provided withalug or projection 16 designed to engagewith notches arranged in the periphery of the plate 13, by means of which the catcher arm is prevented from rotating on its pintle. The other side of the support carries a pivoted handle 16 by means of which the catcher arm may be raised or lowered asdesired, and as this construction is common a detailed description is deemed issaeio unnecessary. The free end of the catcher arm is provided with a spring finger or catch 17 which is designed to engage the ring or loop on the mail bag to hold the bag in proper position thereon.

Pivotally attached in eyes 18' 18 to one side of the lower portion of the car door is a lever arm 18 which is designed to support the lower portion of the mail bag to hold it in proper to position to enable it to be engaged by the catcher arm at a station. The lever arm, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, is pivoted at an angle to the door, so that when it is released it will resume the position shown in Fig. 1, and thus be out of the way. The free end of the said arm is provided with aspring finger somewhat similar to that shown on the catcher arm for engaging the ring in the lower portion of the mail bag. The spring finger on the lever arm is, however, caused to occupy an approximately horizontal plane, so that the ring will be free to slip 01f the said finger irrespective of the direction in which the train is going, Whereas the spring finger carried by the catcher arm will only release the bag in one direction, so that it is necessary to change the position of the catcher arm at each end of the line. The eye 18'is open at its side and the upper straight end of the 0 arm 18 is removably held in said eye by means of a spring 18 the free end of which engages the end of the arm.

The bag holder and catcher arm 20 which is designed to be located adjacent to-the station 5 is of the ordinary construction, with the ex ception of the novel manner of connecting the catcherarm to the support running on the rod 21. A coiled spring 22 is also employed with the latter form of catcher arm for taking up the jar and impact from the contact of the mail bag with the catcher arm.

To setthe parts in position for operation, the rod 4 is slid in its bearings to bring the lug 7 to'one side of the projection 8, and is then 5 rocked slightly and slid back so that the lug 7 is brought under the projection 8 thus holding the parts in position as shown. As soon as the catcher arm receives the mail bag at the station the impact will thrust the rod lengthwise, thereby disengaging thelug from the projection and allowing the catcher arm to swing inward out of the way, as shown in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to reverse the catcher arm in order that mail bags may be collected when the car is running in the opposite direction, the bolt 15 is raised to remove its lug 16 from the notch in the periphery of the plate 3, and the plate is then rotated half of a revolution to bring its diametrically opposite notch un' der the lug of the bolt which then falls into place and locks the parts into operation. When in this position the pin 12 is removed from the notch 10 in the rod and the parts are then slid to the opposite end of the rod 4 where they are locked against sliding movement by the pin engaging the othernotch 10. By this arrangement when the lug is caught by the arm it will swing in toward the car door.

When it is desired to have free access to the door the end of the rod islifted from the spring catch 8' and the device will then swing on its pivot bracket down against the side of the car, leaving the doorway free and unobstructed.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a catcher arm, of an automatically inwardly swinging arm hav- 8 ing an inclined axis pivoted beneath said catcher arm and adapted to swinginward by its own weight against the car body when the bag is released from it, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination with a catcher arm, of an arm located beneath said catcher arm, said lower arm consisting of a straight portion and terminating at its lower end in a hook, the said straight portion being arranged diagonally to the car and pivoted thereto automatically swinging inwardly when released from the bag, substantially as herein described.

3. The combinationwith a reversible catcher arm, of an inwardly swinging arm having an inclined axis pivoted below the catcher arm, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination of the supporting rod one end of which is pivoted to the car body whereby it may swing downward from the door opening, against the side ofthe car, means for supporting the otherend and a catcher arm supported by said rod, substantially as herein described.

5. In combination, a supporting rod pivoted at one end to the car body and having its other end removably supported, whereby when released from the car at one end itwill swing downward against the side of the car said rod provided with a spline having notches near each end, a support sliding on the rod, aid support having a hole, a pin inserted therein and through the notch to lock the support against longitudinal movement, a plate pivoted to said support and carrying a catcher arm, said plate having notches, a bolt having projections to engage said notches to lock the pivoted plate to the support, and a handle secured to said support, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof We hereunto atlix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CLINTON B. \VINSOR. GEORGE WV. CUMMINGS.

WVitnesses:

WA REN COUCH, J. I. LERCH. i

IIO 

